APIs (Application Programming Interface) have a way of turning things on their head and shaking things up.  When you open up a major platform to developers, very interesting things can happen.  Think about the Google Maps mashups, or the iPhone app store.

Google’s changing the game again, and giving paid analytics vendors a serious run for their money,  this time by releasing an API for Google Analytics.

Many companies have already leapt on this integrating Google Analytics data within their tools.  Using campaigns in Google Analytics to track email marketing performance has been possible, but requires separate tagging of URLs.  Using the API, MailChimp (great email tool), now allows for a single checkbox selection to add tracking code to all email links.  Clickthoughs of these links are tracked using Google Analytics, and then sent right back into your Mail Chimp account reporting.  If you’ve also setup Google Analytics ecommerce features and/or goal tracking, Mail Chimp will be able to report on email marketing performance in terms of ROI for the campaign, revenue created, average value per visitor, goals completed, and conversion rate.

ShufflePoint is particularly impressive in that they’ve already integrated Google Analytics with Excel and PowerPoint.  This takes things one step closer to creating truly custom dashboards and custom calculations (major differentiating features within Omniture) with very little financial investment.  Using ShufflePoint, you define the custom calculations, pulling specific metrics straight from your Google Analytics profile(s).  Then, each time you open the Excel spreadsheet or PowerPoint presentation, a simple click of a refresh button updates all data instantly.  A massive timesaver in terms of data entry, as well as a professional presentation to stakeholders with automatically updated data.

Other integration examples include, mobile phone apps, a variety of apps from YouCalc, content management systems, and more.

Many developers currently feel like kids in a candy store and are getting started by diving into Google Code, joining the developer community and keeping updated via the email list.

We look forward to integrating these new methods and tools into our own services and plan to blog about the best-in-class inventions as they spring up.  Stay tuned!

Interactive Industry News & Events, Internet Marketing, Web Analytics API, Web Analytics

Information architects (IAs) and interaction designers have many tools at their disposal, but pull one of them out of the toolbox most often.  Microsoft Visio has been the been the IA’s nail gun since the profession’s early days, however this tool was never designed specifically for interaction design and instead is an all-purpose diagraming tool.

Visio has served us well for many years, however, we here at Molstad Consulting have recently made the switch to Axure RP Pro, a tool that is rapidly gaining momentum within the user experience design community.

The first and most notable benefit is that Axure was built by user experience designers for user experience designers.  Elements are measured in pixels allowing an IA to know exactly how much space is available resulting in wireframes a developer can really use.  Lack of pixel measurement was always a severe shortcoming in Visio, so we’re particularly pleased about this feature.  Also, default spacing can be set to a certain number of pixels (10 by default) so shapes can be dragged and snapped to these ruler marks, giving everything natural spacing which can be exactly replicated when the site goes to development.

Lacking in the early days of Axure, widget libraries are now readily available and extensive.  Frequently used web modules such as calender pickers, carousel photo galleries, form elements, buttons and tabs, even iPhone user interface elements, can be downloaded for free and easily dragged into your prototypes.

Another game-changer is the ability to export prototypes in HTML format.  These can then be zipped up and either emailed or uploaded for review.  Depending on the prototype’s level of detail, the result can be a fully navigable website complete with drop down menus, active form fields, and even dynamic error messages (through the use of dynamic panels).  These exports can be used for stakeholder review or even for in-depth user testing exercises.  You are also not limited by height so prototypes can naturally scroll to reveal all included elements and content just like a web page. 
Try one out yourself.

Masters can be created for repeating elements such as global navigations, footer navigations or any other module that’s used in a variety of places on the website.  Through creative use of backgrounds in Visio, this was achievable, but the position of the module would be have to be the same throughout the prototypes.  In Axure, you can place these modules anywhere you want, yet still make global updates to the module in one place.

Often times, prototypes need to be annotated to explain operations behind the scenes or to give more details for development teams.  Axure has built this right into the tool.  Simply click an element and a form appears allowing for entries such as specifications, status, benefit, risk, assigned to, and more.  Once exported, a small graphic appears over the element.  When that is clicked, a popup window opens revealing the annotations.

In the interests of building a user community, a lively discussion forum demonstrates the breadth of the user base and keeps everyone connected, sharing ideas.

It’s great to see tools specifically designed for web prototyping reaching maturity.  Consider this tool for your in-house user experience staff.  Even if you don’t have information architects or interaction designers on staff, those in charge of communicating requirements to your external agency can use Axure to relate ideas and concepts quickly and cleanly.  With every one literally on the same web page, the development phase will sail along.

Information Architecture, User Interface Design, Web Development Axure, Information Architecture, interaction design, Prototypes, User Interface Design, Wireframes

The Old Way
Web design in small, medium, and large companies alike has traditionally been driven by the loudest voice or the highest-paid person’s opinion (HiPPO).  The Big Cheese steps into the meeting, and lays down the law, dictating what the next month’s web development priorities will be.  Websites can also driven by committee with the end result resembling a camel when the original design called for a horse.

While these approaches can keep things moving, it usually does little to ensure that an organization is directly responding to the needs and wants of its customers and enhancing the website with the express purpose of advancing key performance indicators (KPIs).  Today, with sophisticated web analytics tools (including inexpensive and even free ones), companies have more access than ever before to the data that reveals customer behavior and very specifically, how the website is performing.

The Better Way
Yet, even with these web analytics tools, information overload is a common experience for companies.  Their first foray into the tool, finds them wandering from report to report and thinking, “This is nice, but what do we DO about it?”

The key is to formulate a methodology around that data which is informed by organizational goals and guided by KPIs.  With a plan in place, you’ll have a specific agenda as you review, and even customize the reports to give you exactly the numbers you need to gauge performance.  This becomes especially important when a company has multiple tools in their internet marketing arsenal such as, blogging platforms, video websites, Twitter account, Facebook account, email marketing tools, RSS feeds, and more.  Each of these tools may offer crucial data in relation to a KPI, but if that KPI isn’t specifically in mind when accessing the reporting, insights can easily be missed.

For each key business goal, consider across all your tools which ones can offer insight for a specific KPI.  For instance, how many email sign-ups are we getting off of a specific landing page?  How many views and/or shares are we seeing for relevant blog posts?  What relevant terms are being searched for via our internal search?  What is the bounce rate for our key landing pages?  Which external marketing campaigns are driving quality (not just high quantity) traffic?

Map business goals, to measurable business activity, to appropriate metrics.  Group all related metrics together and track them month to month.  Be sure to keep notes on how these metrics are devised, which tools they come from, and what configuration needs to occur to coax out the right figures.

Then, each month, review your web analytics data and KPIs, and use this data to identify the low-hanging fruit.  For instance, from your membership page, you notice that there have been a large number of internal searches related to membership renewal. It’s obvious that page doesn’t make it clear how to renew your membership and doesn’t provide clear calls to action.  You now have a top-priority task for the month.  Review the metrics around each conversion event on your site and continually optimize.

Your web analytics efforts will only be successful if someone owns the process.  Someone needs to ensure on a regular basis, that KPIs are reviewed and adjusted according to organizational goals, the data is properly collected and analyzed, and insights are summarized and clearly communicated to stakeholders and implementers.

Effective web analytics requires a fundamental shift in the way companies approach website updates and internet marketing efforts, but the process has a wonderful way of keeping everyone aware of, and focused on, key organizational goals, drastically reducing internal arguments, and increasing conversion rates across the board.  That’s something even the HiPPOs can appreciate.

Internet Marketing, Web Analytics, Web Strategy Consulting Internet Marketing, Web Analytics